Please. We can talk about this, okay? I don’t care which one of you is the bad guy here. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Owen’s expression softened. “That’s … so like you.” He tilted his head back and laughed. “God. You’re pathetic. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Nick was taken aback. “Hey! You don’t have to be so frigging rude—”
“I’m offering you everything you’ve ever wanted. I am giving you the chance to be an Extraordinary. And the only thing you’re focused on is that we’re all friends? No wonder you’ve never been able to do anything. You’ve got no spine. And to think I was going to let you be my sidekick. I had such big plans for you, Nick.” He scoffed as he shook his head. “Well, that’s months of work down the drain. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Time for plan B.” He turned back to Seth. “Pyro Storm, it’s been fun, but I’m bored with you now. I think I’m ready to move on to bigger and better things.” He snapped his hands closed again, and Seth began to choke.
Nick’s head felt like it was splitting apart as he took a step forward. The ground tilted beneath his feet as a gray wave of pain rolled over him.
Seth’s face was white as his eyes started rolling back in his head.
Owen grinned wickedly.
Nick brought his hands up to the sides of his head as another lance of exquisite pain pierced through him.
He did the only thing he could.
He screamed.
The air rippled around him, and the glass walls shattered as if struck by an unseen force. Owen was knocked off his feet, landing roughly on the ground. Seth flew back against the wall near the elevator, slumping down, chin resting against his chest, unmoving.
Glass fell, shards breaking apart as they hit the floor. The lights showered sparks. The centrifuge whirred erratically before it flew against the wall.
Somewhere deep inside Burke Tower, an alarm began to shriek.
Nick didn’t know what had happened. He’d never seen Pyro Storm or Shadow Star do anything like that before. But his vision was clearer, the ache in his head receding marginally. He looked over his shoulder.
The colored pills hadn’t been affected. They still hung suspended.
He could do it. Right now. If he wanted to. He could take one of them. Or all of them.
He could be an Extraordinary.
Instead, Nick turned back around. He moved past Owen, who groaned but made no move to get up. He’d worry about him later.
Seth lifted his head as he approached. Blood trickled down his cheek. It looked as if he’d been cut. He smiled weakly as Nick knelt beside him. “Hey, Nicky.”
“Shut up,” Nick snapped at him, hands trembling. “I’m so angry with you.”
Seth flinched. “Yeah. I figured you might be.”
“You hurt my dad.”
“It wasn’t—it wasn’t me. I was trying to—” He paused, shaking his head. “We don’t have time. We have to get Owen out of here before he wakes up … What? I don’t—would you listen to me?”
Nick scowled. “What? I am listening to you—”
“I’m not talking to you.” Seth turned his head so Nick could see his right ear. Inside, there appeared to be an earpiece of some kind. “I’m talking to my aunt.”
“Your aunt knows? How long has she— Oh my god, your house isn’t haunted. She is such a liar. She distracted me with cookies and lies! It was you all along!”
“She says she’s sorry about that. She’ll make you a new batch to make it up to you.”
“Oh. Well. That’s nice of her. She doesn’t have to—Wait a minute.”
“Gibby knows too?” Nick cried. “Is everyone in my life a vile betrayer?”
“That wasn’t my idea,” Seth said with a glare. “She figured it out on her own. Followed me one day and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Nosey little—now she’s yelling at me again.”
“Does Jazz know?”
“No.” Seth sat back against the wall, using it to push himself up. Nick held on to his arm, the material under his hands warm to the touch. “She’s not part of this.”
“Oh, but Gibby is. I’m supposed to be your best friend. I gave you Skwinkles Salsagheti. We went on a date.” He frowned. “I think? I’m still kind of fuzzy on the details, but it could have been!”
Seth rolled his eyes as he huffed out a breath. “Consider it retribution for every single time you’ve mentioned Shadow